A US woman who shot and killed her husband and two adult children before taking her own life is thought to have committed the shocking crime as a result of being ostracised from the religion she was raised in.

A federal judge sentenced a former Arkansas judge Wednesday to five years in prison — a stiffer punishment than prosecutors recommended — after he admitted giving young male defendants lighter sentences in return for personal benefits that included sexual favours.

Every time I tell a mate I’m doing a story on cryptocurrency, they invariably ask me the same two questions: should they invest their own hard-earned money, and which cryptocurrency will get them a Lamborghini/yacht/island quickest?

In a 60 Minutes online exclusive, reporter Liz Hayes quizzed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his relationship with the unpredictable Twitter aficionado and US president Donald Trump ahead of their meeting at the White House Friday.

Sydney woman denies murdering housemate

A woman accused of stabbing her housemate to death in their southern Sydney home has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Police allege Katherine Abdallah, 32, killed Susan Sarkis, 21, at their Brighton-Le-Sands townhouse on February 9 last year following a protracted argument about the younger woman using her car without permission.

The 32-year-old was composed as she entered a not guilty plea on Friday and was supported in court by a female relative.

Justice Peter Johnson set a trial date of February 2, 2015, which is expected to last three to four weeks.

The not guilty plea comes after a two-day committal hearing in March during which Magistrate Mark Buscombe found there was enough evidence for Abdallah to stand trial.

The court had previously heard that Abdallah and Ms Sarkis came from close-knit Lebanese families and the two women's decision to live away from home had caused tension.

Neighbours had told the court they spotted two women fighting at the side of Crawford Road in Brighton-Le-Sands on the afternoon of the alleged murder.